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Creative Home Repairs
Posted on May 1, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItI’ve seen a few funny things in recent months that are worth showing.Now I’m all for trying to do things yourself but when repairs are made this way its time for some help! Bathtub Faucet: Looking to add a little piz-azz to your bathroom decor? Want an accent color available only with custom faucet orders? I found your answer! […]
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Cover it – sorry, Santa!
Posted on February 8, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItHow Santa Claus gets down the chimney is about to get more complicated. I’m advising clients to install metal covers over traditional chimney flues. Homes were not usually installed with these but times have changed. Traditional brick or concrete block chimneys seem to be rarely seen in construction nowadays. Wood framed chimneys are the norm and sometimes it […]
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Ready to impress a home inspector?
Posted on February 1, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItLast Thursday was a hard day for me with my inspections. There were two homes I inspected – one built in 2001 and the other 1968. Both had very large crawlspaces and the moment I popped the covers I was overwhelmed by that all-too-familiar smell of rat urine. Disgusting! It got worse as I pushed through rodent droppings. Structurally […]
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Garbage battery idea
Posted on January 25, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItI remember learning to maintain the car battery with my dad. We would careful pry open the caps and check the water level of the individual cells. He warned me about the hydrochloric acid inside. Then in high school chemistry I watched HCl do its deteriorating work on various materials. That stuff is awful! I’ve […]
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Driveway Crack Up
Posted on January 18, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItDo you have cracks in your driveway? You’ve probably never noticed before. Cracks seem to be such a common thing that no one thinks about it. Cracks in driveways can be caused by improperly cured concrete, settling of the ground below, crushing loads from a truck, tree roots, drainage issues and soil erosion. They can […]
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This gift sucks – in a good way!
Posted on January 11, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItSo did you get a wet dry vacuum as a Christmas gift? If so, it probably smells like new plastic and looks beautiful. The brand tag is clear and easy to read and the inside is so clean you could eat off it! After fifteen years my little 3.25 horsepower, 8 gallon Craftsman is anything but new. The only […]
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Another of my favorite products
Posted on January 4, 2016 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItOne of the first tools my dad taught to use was a volt meter. I remember him giving me one of his old analog meters to add to my tool set. The two lead wires were red and black with sharp metal probes. These probes were to stick in those slots I was taught as a child to never […]
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Water nightmare – Episode II
Posted on December 28, 2015 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItWhat’s the number one enemy of the Pacific Northwest home? Water. Another story about my next-door neighbor who lives in our duplex. They have been an incredible source of good Fix It and Use It stories. “I’m on a crusade against rubber supply lines on washing machines!” Realtors and clients have heard me recite that line again and again. […]
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Water nightmare – Episode I
Posted on December 21, 2015 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItWhat’s the number one enemy of Pacific Northwest homes? Water. At the end of October our next door neighbors let me know they were having water entering their basement bedroom. They desperately fought the water building up against the foundation wall from a backed up driveway drain. We’ve lived in this duplex for three years […]
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Why doesn’t this outlet work?
Posted on December 14, 2015 by mikew in Fix It & Use ItEver plugged your vacuum in and it kept turning on and off based on the cord position? That is usually the result of a bad connection. This is only one problem that can plague outlets. If you have an outlet receptacle that is not working, here are some common causes to them not working. Tripped circuit breaker – kind […]
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